Talking Over Instant Ramen
by bluepools
Summary: Kakashi, Sakura, and of course, Sasuke are all worried about Naruto's constant diet of instant ramen. Together they try to get Naruto to eat healthier foods but Naruto himself objects. Little does he know... Sasuke's got some tricks up his sleeves.
1. Chapter 1

"Naruto, I'm not an expert on health but I'm sure that all that ramen would be bad for your health. Your diet can't _only_ consist of ramen." Kakashi-sensei said as he took out his Icha Icha Paradise book. He adjusted his mask and began to talk again, "Sakura and Sasuke are going to come over later with some vegetables. You better eat them."

Naruto groaned and turned over to face his former sensei. He stretched lazily and got up from the beige couch. "Sensei, I'm old enough to take care of myself! I've been living alone for all these years and _now_ you tell me to eat veggies?!" He ran a tanned hand through his sun kissed blonde hair. "Come on! I can't help it if ramen is so delicious. What can I say? It's like a drug for me." As soon as he said that the door burst open.

Sakura stood there with Sasuke holding bags of veggies. A vein popped on her forehead and she charged over to Naruto. She gripped onto his shoulders and shook the living daylights out of him. "What are you?! A freak?! Here we are, trying to get you to eat _healthy _things and you go all whiney on us?!"

Kakashi calmly detached her hands from the wide-eyed Naruto. "Sakura, I think he got the point. You can relax now." Naruto, who was still frozen, stood there like a tree. Kakashi sensei looked at him and shook his head. "Sakura, you gotta stop doing that. It's gonna take a while for him to get out of that one…"

Sakura folded her arms and sighed, "Well, it's not my fault the baka can't tell nutrition from junk." Sasuke quietly dumped all the bags onto the kitchen table. He walked over to Naruto with a turnip in his hand and swiftly stuck it into his mouth.

Naruto revived and coughed and spluttered, "Teme! What the hell are you trying to do to me?!" Sakura giggled and began to put away the grocery.

Ever since team had all past for the test to become jounin they had moved and rented houses near each other. Of course, Sasuke opposed to the idea of living near Sakura but Kakashi-sensei managed to "persuade" him. Now, about everyday they all crash at Naruto's place.

"Naruto! What did I say about buying junk?! It's not good for you! Stop eating it," Sakura said and snatched a cup ramen out of Naruto's hands.

"Hey! I was eating that!" Sakura was about to raise her fist when Sasuke entered the kitchen.

"Dobe, stop making all this noise. It's annoying to have to listen to your voice _every_ mission, but on the weekends too?"

Sakura quickly became another person. She was twirling her

pink hair and swaying back and forth while looking at Sasuke dreamily. Sasuke turned away in disgust and went back into Naruto's living room. Then, all of a sudden Sakura's cell rang.

"Hello?" Naruto smirked when he heard Tsunade-baa chan's loud voice on the other line. "Oh, yes, Tsunade-sama. Yes, mhmm. I'll be right there." She stuffed her cell back into her mini skirt pocket and ran out the door calling over her shoulder, "Bye Sasuke-kun!" Naruto rolled his eyes. He'd gotten used to it. Sakura gives him the cold should whenever she didn't get her way. Besides, Naruto had stopped liking her when she got the monstrous strength.

In fact, it was pretty impossible to _not_ hate her now. Naruto snickered and got out another ramen cup. He added boiling water and walked into the living room. Sasuke was sitting on the couch watching some T.V. show and Kakashi-sensei was off somewhere reading his perverted book. Naruto sat down next to Sasuke and slurped happily on his ramen.

Sasuke turned and looked at him, irritated. "Dobe, would you stop that slurping? It's annoying as hell."

Naruto grinned smugly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Make me." He said, his eyes giving a mischief glint. He got off the couch and sat one the dining table slurping away. This time, louder, deliberately annoying Sasuke.

Sasuke cracked his knuckles and stood up. Naruto's legs swung back and forth care freely over the edge of the table. Sasuke walked over to him meeting Naruto's sky blue eyes with his own. Naruto slurped the last of his ramen down and grinned his foxy grin at him, still swinging his legs. He hopped off the table and bumped into the taller and older boy on purpose. The brunette fumed.

"Aww, is widdle Sasu-chan angry?" That was the last straw. Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. Naruto's voice was so irresistible when he used the adorable baby voice on him. He pushed Naruto onto the table and Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Sasuke's was glad hid bangs were in his face, or else Naruto would have seen Sasuke's furious blush. "H-hey S-sasuke, you alright?" The raven haired boy climbed onto the table and sat on top of Naruto. He bended down till their faces were only inches apart. He could hear the blonde's breath quicken. Naruto's tanned cheeks flushed red.

"Naruto…" Sasuke said in a low and husky voice. _Wait! What am I doing?_ _This could ruin everything I had ever worked for! _Sasuke regained his calmness and smirked. "Dobe…" He climbed off of him and brushed himself off. Without another word the taller brunette boy left the room with Naruto still frozen on the table.


	2. Chapter 2

**Meeeeeeeeee: **_Thanks for reading. I really want to know what people think so please submit a review and tell me of your opinions. Bad or good I will read them all. Just want to know what my readers are thinking so I can improve on the story. Question… Do I have to put on a disclaimer..? Silly me. This is a short chapter! I promise I will make it up to you guys later! I'm typing up a new story! Try reading that one too when I post._

**Disclaimers: **Uhh... I don't own the characters of Naruto or anything, all belongs to Kishimoto. (Am I doing it right?)

**Chapter 2: Something's Up**

Sakura dropped her cellphone and stopped dead in her tracks. She had this sinking feeling in her guts that was telling her something was wrong. _Really _wrong. _Something's up with those two. I just know it! I'll have to finish this quickly and head back!_

Kakashi looked up form his Icha Icha Paradise book wiggled his eyebrows. _Someone's having some fun… _he thought and chuckled.

Naruto sat up on the table, still dazed form what happened between him and Sasuke. He shrugged it off and went into the kitchen to make another cup of ramen. As the waited for the noodles to cool, he looked out the window. The sun was setting and the wonderfully orangey color was everywhere. He blonde smiled to himself and began to happily slurp on his noodles. When he was done he dumped the empty cup into the garbage can and went to laze around in the living room. _Sasuke's not back, Sakura's not back, and Kakashi-sensei's not back. I'm bored…_ Naruto sighed and changed into a more comfortable position on the couch. Soon, before he knew it, he fell into a deep slumber.

Sasuke looked up at the sky. _The sun's setting, I better get home. I might as well forget this whole thing happened, knowing **him **he probably did already._ He took one last look at the sparkling lake he was sitting near and took off.

He opened the door and walked in. _No noise… good sign or bad sign?_ He walked into the living room and peeked in. The brunette smiled when he saw a _certain someone_ sleeping care freely on the couch. Sasuke walked over to the blonde and looked at his sleeping face. Smiling, he gently picked the sleeping, tall, slender blonde up and carried him upstairs to his bed. (Naruto's bed, not his! Sillies xD!) Sasuke quietly kicked open the door to Naruto's room and lay him down lightly onto the bed. He bent down and leaned closely towards Naruto's face. Naruto's breathing was even and his lips were slightly parted so when he exhaled Sasuke could feel his warm breath on his face. _My face is this close! I can kiss him right now and he would never know… but it wouldn't feel right. I want him to enjoy it too when we kiss… if we ever do that is._


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Screw the disclaimer! Enjoy the story x3!**

**Chapter 3**

"Oi! Naruto!"

The blonde looked up from the bowl of Ichiraku ramen he was eating and grinned. "Chouji! Came for the ramen? Join me!"

Chouji wiped the sweat off of his forehead and took a seat next to him. "Boy, it's so hot man! We should go swimming sometime!"

Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I guess. I'll go ask Sasuke and the others. I need a new pair of swimmy trunks though…"

"What happened to your last pair? I remembered that you got it only last summer!"

The blonde scowled as he finished up the last of his noodles. "The bastard…"

"Yo! Did I hear the sweet little Naruto cuss?" Kiba said as he gave Naruto a little noogie. Naruto pushed him away and moved over to make some room for him. "So, what were you guys talking bout before this strikingly handsome dog man came?" Naruto rolled his eyes and Chouji ignored the idiotic comment.

"Just bout some swimming trip we're gonna plan. Wanna come?" Kiba cocked his head and said,

"Uhh, I don't know! I just have to check my busy schedule! After all, a handsome man is a busy one, ne?!"

Naruto snickered and patted Kiba on the back then whispered into his ear, "I heard Hinata-chan was coming toooo!"

Kiba's expression changed at once. His face was red as a tomato and his mouth stopped moving. Chouji and Naruto bursted out laughing and Kiba's face turned even redder.

"H-hey! What do you think you're laughing about?!" Kiba demanded. Chouji and Naruto whistled and ran off laughing and leaving Kiba with the bill. Akamaru barked and ran after them but Kiba called him back. Akamaru jumped into his arms and crawled back into his hood. Kiba smirked and laughed evilly.

"HAH! I'll have my sweet revenge! Just watch you guys!"

"Oi! Young man! Stop laughing so creepily in here! You're gonna scare our other customers away!" Kiba stopped in the middle of his laugh and choked on his spit. People stopped eating and looked up from their food and began to stare at him. Kiba's face turned red once again. Embarrassed, he quickly paid the bill and ran off.

Back at home Naruto grinned and opened his froggy wallet. Thanks to Kiba's _very generous_ treat, he had saved enough money to go crazy with ramen for the swimming trip they had planned. He chuckled and went to call the others to inform them of their plan.

Sasuke heard the slamming of the front door and he got off his bed. He opened his bedroom door and peeked out. He heard Naruto laughing to himself and he raised his eyebrows. _What's he up to now?_ The brunette walked downstairs and went into the living room. The blonde was lounging happily on the couch and munching on some dango.

"Hey Sasuke!" He raised the hand that held the dango. "You want some? This is soo good! It so sweet and chewy! I got it at Ichiraku's for free. You know, I just confirmed my theory of Kiba liking Hinata! He was blushing like a tomato!! And also…"

Sasuke looked at the blonde chatting happily on the couch. He was right when he thought Naruto had forgotten what happened. He watched as the glazing of the dango slid down the blonde's chin, who was still unaware of Sasuke's intense stare. He continued chatting like they hadn't seen each other in years. Sasuke licked his lips hungrily. Soon before he knew it he was sitting next to Naruto on the couch. He was inching closer and closer. Before he knew it, Sasuke's face was only inches away from Naruto's.

"So anyways, we were kind of planning this trip! Swimming trip! Chou-" Before the blonde could finish his sentence, Sasuke had crashed his lips onto his. He held Naruto's face in his hands and held him still. Sasuke smirked and licked the sweet sauce off of Naruto's chin. The blonde's eyes widened but his arms hung limp by his side. He dropped his dango and turned his face away. His face was flushed and he laughed nervously.

"Teme, what do you think you're doing?" Sasuke shrugged and leaned back on the couch as if nothing had happened.

"So, tell me about this trip." Naruto's face turned back to its normal color and his face lit up.

"Yea! So, me and Chouji were planning this…" Sasuke watched closely as the blonde's mouth began to move and talk again. His heart was pounding like crazy. If molesting Naruto would be _this easy_ he would have done this _ages ago_. The dobe' attention span was small as hell. He blocked out the noise and focused on Naruto's face. He seemed to have forgotten already. _Is he pretending not to remember or does he really not remember? _

Naruto grinned and continued talking as if nothing happened. He set his talking on auto pilot. _Damn! What the hell is the bastard trying to do to me?! This wasn't the first time he tried something with me! He may think I have forgotten by now but even I'm not that thick! I suppose sometimes it does pay off when people think you're ignorant. _The blonde could feel Sasuke's eyes roam all over his body. _Ugh! Eye harassing!_

"So, are you coming?" Sasuke heard Naruto's voice ask. The brunette nodded and watched as Naruto got off the couch.

"Where are you going? It's getting pretty late."

Naruto rolled his eyes and snickered. "What are you now? A worrying old grandma?" Naruto gave him the biggest pair of blue eyes and the cutest pout he could make. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat and he could feel his face heat up. "I'm sorry mommy…"

Sasuke scowled and the color disappeared form his pale cheeks. "Whatever. Go wherever you want whenever you want. See if I care."

Naruto smiled and hugged Sasuke whispering dangerously quiet into his ear, "You sure bout that…Sasu-chan?" Sasuke blushed to a crimson red. He could feel Naruto's warm breath on neck. He had never heard Naruto's voice like this. It was low and seductive. In other words: **downright sexy**.

Naruto grinned mischievously and pulled away from Sasuke's heating body. He ran to the door and called over his shoulder, "Bye bye!" He emphasized each syllable, "Sa-su-chan!" Sasuke woke up from his daze and looked at the closed door. _What the hell was that just now? Was he playing me?_ The frustrated brunette ran a hand through his raven hair. _I can't believe I just **blushed** from something the **dobe** did. He must have been toying with me! _Sasuke stood up form the couch and paced back and forth around the room. _Wait! Come on, this **is** Naruto we're talking bout here. He can't possibly have done that on purpose. I just know it…_

**Me: Do people actually read the author's note…? Cos if you guys don't tell me and I'll stop writing one. Wait for the next chapter! I'm gonna try to update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the wait! You can't blame a lazy person's nature! Shikamaru's like my brother from another mother… Enjoy! 3**

**Chapter 4**

Naruto snickered and slammed the door shut. He would give a million bowls of ramen away just to see Sasuke's face like that again. He skipped happily in the street earning a few strange looks from the other villagers. He looked at his watch. 10:30 PM. _I'll go tell Neji and Hinata about the swimming trip first! Then I'll go to the others. _When the blonde got to the Hyuuga household, he rang the door bell impatiently. Finally, after Naruto continuously rang the bell again and again, someone came. When the gates opened Naruto's azure eyes met a pair of pale gray eyes.

He smiled, "Neji! Man, what took you so long!?"

Neji's usual emotionless face gave Naruto a small smile. "Naruto, why are you here? It's pretty late."

Naruto glanced at his watch and scratched his head. He smiled sheepishly, "Whoops, my watch broke… I thought it was 10:30 PM. What time is it now?"

Neji shook his head and answered, "Naruto… it's like 11:47. It really late."

"Ah! That's why Sasu-chan was so worried about me coming out!"

Neji's cocked an eyebrow and invited Naruto into his house. "Come on in. I'll send a servant to get tea. You cold?" Naruto grinned and nodded, blushing. "Alright, let's go to my room. The heater's stronger there."

He opened the door to his room and accepted the tray of tea and sweets from the servant. Naruto entered his room and his jaw dropped. "Whoa! Neji! Dude, your room is so neat! It's just as neat as Sasuke's, if not neater."

Neji almost choked on his hot tea. "Y-you've been in his room before?!"

Naruto smiled and nodded like it was the most normal thing he could say, "Yeah, I've been in the bastard's room before."

The pale eyed boy smoothed out his shirt and coughed. "Alone..? With...Sasuke?"

Naruto plopped onto Neji's bed and grabbed his pillow. He hugged it and placed his face onto the smooth and cool surface of the material. "Yeah, alone…"

Neji choked again on his tea. He coughed and spluttered. Naruto raised his eyebrows at him. He patted him on the back and waited for the coughing to subside. "Dude, what's wrong man?"

_Naruto's been alone with Sasuke in his room… Who knows what Sasuke could have done to him…? _"I'm fine, Naruto. Rather, tell me why you're here so late."

The blonde scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "I came here to ask you and Hinata to come to a swimming trip with us."

Neji chuckled and shook his head, "Could you have not done that tomorrow? You came over this late just to tell me that? You never fail to amuse me, Naruto."

"Really?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You never seem to laugh though. If you're amused, why don't you laugh?" Naruto leaned in towards the pale boy. Instantly, Neji's face flushed. "Hey, what's wrong? Your face's all red!" He put his hand on his forehead to check his temperature. The blush deepened.

"N-naruto, I'm fine. Please," Neji said as he gently pushed his tanned hand away. "Tell me about the trip." As Naruto launched into a long explanation of the trip he and Chouji planned, Neji was deep in thought. _Just as I thought, Sasuke being in the same house as him was a bad idea. I'm at a disadvantage here. _

"Oi!!! Neji! You listening?" Naruto's loud voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yes, do continue." He was about to speak again when they both heard a **loud** growl. Neji's eyes widened and he coughed into his hand. Quietly he said, "Naruto, are you hungry?"

"Yea… I only ate some dango before I came here."

The older boy stood up. "Stay here, I'll get you some food. What would you like? Would some small steamed buns be acceptable?" Naruto's stomach growled again, this time even **louder.** The blonde laughed, embarrassed. "Well, I should bring something big, right?" He left the room and shut the door quietly after himself.

Naruto sighed and lay down on Neji's bed. He hugged the soft pillow tightly. _Stupid bastard! If the teme didn't make me drop my dango I wouldn't be this hungry! Aaaahhh… I'm so hungry! _As if his stomach responded to his thoughts, it growled again.The blonde rubbed his stomach as if to pacify it. "Come on," He said in a low and soothing voice. "Don't be like this… haven't I always treated you right?" He bend his head down to the level of his stomach, continuing to talk to it. "I promise to buy lots of ramen tomorrow if you stop growling." His stomach gurgled and growled again. The noise rang in his ears. Naruto scowled lifted his shirt to slap his stomach. Before he could, it rumbled again. "How could you do this to me?!?" He yelled in frustration.

Neji practically dropped his tray of steaming buns when he saw the blonde jumping on his bed half naked (Top half...pervs ;P Haha, don't worry, I'm one too!) wrestling with himself on his bed. The pale boy slowly made his way over to the table and put down the tray. The blonde who still hadn't noticed his presence, continued to wrestle with himself on the bed.

"Naruto…" The blonde looked up form his stomach and his face broke into a grin.

"Neji! You're back with food!" He hopped off the bed and pounced on the older boy. Surprised, Neji stumbled and fell onto the floor with Naruto on top of him. The blonde grinned and took a bun from the tray munching on it.

_Must not blush! Must not blush! Must not blu-_ "Whoops, I should get off of you." Naruto climbed off of him and leaned on the side of the bed chomping on the jelly buns. Neji let out a sigh of relief. If he were on him any moment longer he was positive that a **huge** blush would appear on his face. Now, he couldn't let Naruto see **that.** When his heart finally slowed down he allowed himself to look at the blonde.

"Thanks, Neji! I had to fight my stomach before cause I was so hungry! You saved the day!" He gave him a huge warm smile. Neji's heart warmed and swelled up. He couldn't get enough of the blonde's smiles or voice. He had forgotten when he had become so infatuated with this boy. Was it after the chuunin exams? He couldn't remember, but he knew it was for a long time._ This is my chance. I have to take it! Since I'm already at a disadvantage, when I see chances I have to seize them! Fate smiles upon me today…_

"Naruto," The blonde looked up from his jelly buns. "Would you like to stay here for the night? It's already past midnight."

Naruto grinned, "Thanks! I'd love to! It's better than staying with the teme anyways!"

Somewhere back at home, Sasuke sneezed. He rolled around on his bed restlessly. He had a _very bad_ feeling that he just couldn't put off. He glanced at the clock. 1:07 PM. _Where's the dobe!?! He better be back soon._

Neji smiled, pleased. He clapped his hands together and smiled again. "Well, I'll get things ready for you. You wouldn't mind sleeping here in this room with me would you?" The blonde shrugged and shook his head. Neji licked his lips and smiled again, not bothering to hide how thrilled he was.

Sasuke breathed heavily. The dark bed sheets stuck to his skin as he sweated. _Scratch what I felt before! I'm feeling a thousand times worse! There's a sick feeling in my stomach that I can't get rid of… Naruto! Where are you?!? Come back! _He couldn't help but feel that he had to get to the dobe before morning…

**Me: HAHAHA! I made Neji a peeeeeeerv in this one! And yes, Neji likes Naruto. DUH! Hehe, Neji's a perv! Pervy, pervy perv! Wait for the next chappie my little ducklings! Haha! I am so on crack, man.**

**Naruto: o.O Am I gonna be the uke in this story..? Dude! I'm always the uke! That is so not fair! Why am I always the one who gets molested?!?**

**Me: O.O Soooo… You wanna be the molester?**

**Naruto:NVM… do what you want… "Indecipherable muttering"**

**Me: Love you too, Naruto-kun!!!!!! "squeal"**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Wheeeeee! Just updating during Spring Break! Can't disappoint my readers! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! Neji's a peeeeeeeerv xD**

**Chapter 5**

"Naruto, we seem to have run out of futons, you don't mind sharing the bed with me do you?"

The blonde finished the last of his tea and sighed, satisfied and shook his head. "You ran out of futons! How can I complain?"

The Hyuuga smirked and took off his forehead protector and his hat (**A/N**: Sorry to interrupt, but I'm pretty sure what Neji wears on his head IS in fact a hat.) He got up from the tatami matted floor and walked over to his sliding door closet. He opened it and began to rummage its contents.

The blonde looked at the Hyuuga curiously. "Oi, Neji! What are you looking for?"

The pale boy stopped his searching for a second and turned to look at the blonde. He smiled and answered, "Well, I have to find a pair of pajamas for you to sleep in. You can't sleep in the clothes you came in, that is very unsanitary."

Naruto chuckled and crawled over to Neji patting him on the back. "Dude, you're a great host and everything but you overthink too many things, man. I can totally sleep in my boxers! That's what I do at home!"

Neji's face blushed at once when his mind overcame the shock of having the opportunity to see Naruto in his boxers only. He coughed into his hand and said seriously, "No, you need pajamas."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No… I don't."

"Yes! You do! That's the end of it! You're gonna sleep in a pair of pajamas!"

Naruto shrugged and yawned, "Whatever, man. I'm tired, just give me a pair of pajamas to wear and get it over with. I wanna go to bed." Neji smiled triumphantly and continued his searching for a pair of fitting pajamas for Naruto. He glanced at the smaller boy.

_His body frame is so small. My clothes would somewhat fit but my shoulders are wider so the clothes would just end up sliding off his shoulders._ It was somewhat of an alluring sight, and Neji wanted to see it, but he didn't want his precious blonde to catch a cold! _I do remember that last year, Gai, Lee and Ten Ten made me go shopping with them for celebration for some "special" event. I think Gai sensei bought something for me then… _"Aha! Found it!" He held up a small pair of pale blue pajamas. It was decorated with little black and brown teddy bears with bows on their necks. Occasionally you could spot some rainbow colored hearts on the fabric.

The blonde looked at it and his eyebrows shot up. He laughed nervously and said into his hand, "Wow… Neji, I didn't know you had fetishes for these kinds of things…" _Whoa! Danger zone! I didn't need this right before I go to bed, I might get nightmares!_

Neji choked and looked at the blonde who was inching away form him more and more by the second. "Naruto! It's not what it looks like!"

Naruto laughed, "Yeah! That's what **everybody** says…"

The Hyuuga scratched his chin thoughtfully. _True, true, he's got a point._ He shook his head ferociously. _Now's not the time to think! I have to explain before he thinks I'm some weird freak!_ He looked at the blonde who was at the door. "Uhh… maybe me sleeping over was a **bad** idea. I think I should go…" _Too late, he already thinks I'm a freak… _

"Wait! Let me explain…" He patted the floor next to him and indicated that the blonde should sit next to him. Naruto sighed and reluctantly walked over and sat down. He looked expectantly over at Neji and waited for his explanation. Neji took a deep breath and exhaled. "Gai sensei. He-"

"Ah, that's explains everything!" Naruto clapped his hands together and grabbed the pajamas. "I'm gonna change in the bathroom." He stood up and went into the bathroom. Once he closed the door, Neji let out a big sigh of relief.

_That was a close call, he almost left! I gotta be careful from now on. _He climbed onto his bed and scooted over to one side to make space for Naruto who was still in the bathroom.

"Neji, I'm done changing!" The bathroom door opened and an **adorable** blonde walked out. Although the pajamas were an extra small size, they seemed to still be bigger than Naruto. The button on shirt always seemed to slide off of his shoulders. Umm… two words? **Very alluring.** It took every ounce of strength that Neji had that night to not pounce him.

"Naruto," His teeth gritted. His grip on the white sheets tightened. It was hard to talk and control your hormones at the same time. "Maybe it would be better if you slept in something else?" Naruto pouted and his eyebrows furrowed. _Pouting doesn't make this any easier!_

"Why?" He climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers close to him. Neji looked away from him. _Maybe lying about the futons was a bad idea…_ "Neji?" The Hyuuga turned to look at the blonde. He regretted it the moment he saw Naruto's face. Neji's heart melted. "Is anything wrong?" The blonde put one of his hands on the older boy's cheek. He stoked his face softly. "Are you sick?"

Neji couldn't hold back! He jumped off the bed and rolled onto the floor. _Close call. Gotta get away before I do anything I might regret in the future. _His prayers were answered when the doorbell rang from downstairs.

"Who would call this late at night?" The blonde asked. The bell rang again. Neji got up from the tatami mat and brushed himself off.

"I should go get that." Naruto hopped off (literally) of the bed and followed Neji as they walked downstairs. The Hyuuga handed Naruto a small jacket and motioned for him to follow him. They walked out to the gate and looked. Naruto's jaw dropped. Neji held back his smirk. There, outside of the gate was the high and mighty Uchiha Sasuke, still in his royal blue velvet pajamas and dark blue slippers.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?!" Naruto bursted out laughing. He held onto Neji to keep himself from falling.

Neji grimaced and held onto the still laughing Naruto. He turned and looked at the scowling Sasuke. "Uchiha, what are you doing here?"

"Shut up and open this gate, or I'll burn it down!"

Naruto wiped tears from his eyes and looked at Sasuke. "Dude! Chill, what are you doing here?" He smiled smugly, "Don't tell me **Grandma Sasuke** was worried about me?"

The pale boy's cheeks flushed. He stammered, "N-no! Dobe!" He put on his impassive face. "Like I would worry about you! It's just Sakura would go crazy if you weren't home by morning!"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just tell her I'm at Neji's." He tugged at Neji's arm. "Let's go back in. It's cold out here."

Neji looked down at the blonde smiling warmly, "Ok, let's go back." They turned and began to walk back.

Sasuke's scowl deepened. _Damn! I can't give a reason for him to come back home! Shit, if I tell the dobe I'm worried I'll lose my pride as an Uchiha! _He looked up from the floor. They had already gone back in. To make matters worse, it began to drizzle. The wet and cold Sasuke slowly made his way back home.

A twinge of guilt hit Naruto as he saw Sasuke walking back home. He shook his head. _Why should I feel guilty when he can't even forget his stupid Uchiha pride for a second to say he's worried? _He pulled the curtains together and walked back over to the bed. He climbed in and snuggled against the covers. He had the whole bed to himself since Neji chickened out at the last minute and decided to sleep in the living room. _Sasuke… you bastard._

**Me: Tsk, tsk. Neji, why are you being such a wimp?!?**

**Neji: You're one to talk… you're scared of your own mother.**

**Me: You better take that back before I decide to make you act like an idiot in the next chapter! ****"Special VIP Author's Jutsu!"**

**Neji: Noooooooooo…**

**Me: MUHAHAHAHAHA!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Yeah, sorry guys. This update is kinda late but… I had my reasons. After I posted my other chapter, I went to bed. Then when the clock stroked midnight, these tiny little elves wearing Rock Lee-ish green jumpsuits came in and kidnapped me. They tied and gagged me. Then the elves carried me up to the rooftop and this sled landed. YUP! It was Santa Claus. He said he needed me and my brilliant imagination to help him create happiness and joy for other children throughout the whole world. I couldn't say no so, we went to the North Pole… YEAH… I'm sorry for my excessive compassion for people whom I don't know. I just got back a while ago… Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 6**

Naruto groaned as the sunlight shined through the thin curtains and spilled onto his still half-asleep form. He groggily sat up on the king-sized bed. (A/N: You know, I always figured Neji would be the type to sleep on a LARGE bed. x3) He yawned and stretched. Rubbing his partially-closed eyes, he hopped off the bed and wandered downstairs to look for Neji. His eyes snapped open as a familiar scent teased him into the kitchen.

"Ramen!" He jumped the tall boy who was in an apron. The pale-eyed boy was slowly stirring the base soup for the ramen. "Neji! Ohayo!"

A small smile found its way onto the Hyuuga's lips. "Ohayo, Naruto. Get washed up, the ramen is almost done. You don't mind miso flavored, do you?"

The blonde shook his head vigorously, "I love **all** flavors of ramen!"

The older boy chuckled and gently pushed Naruto on his way to the bathroom. When he heard the door click shut, he went back into the kitchen and began stirring the soup again. _The trip's in two more days… by then I shall have made my move. For now, Uchiha isn't here to interrupt anything o I can relax._

"Neji! I'm doooooooone!" Naruto walked into the kitchen dressed in the clothes he came in. "Is the ramen done yet? I'm hungry…" He grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. Yawning, he sat down on the dining table in the kitchen waiting patiently while studying Neji's figure in an apron. _Hehe, he looks funny. He already looks feminine with his long hair but when you add that apron…_The blonde subconsciously giggled.

Neji turned and looked at him, with a questioning expression on his face. Naruto shrugged and hopped onto a chair s he watched Neji put the ramen into a big bowl. He opened the fridge and grabbed something. He began chopping it and putting it onto the bowl of ramen.

"Oi, Neji. What's that?" Instead of answering, he brings the big bowl of ramen over and puts it gently onto the table.

"Try it." He pushed the bowl towards the blonde and offered him a pair of chopsticks."

The blonde rubbed his hands together anticipated. He grinned and cracked opened the wooden chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" After he took his first bite, his eyes widened. He took another couple of slurps at the ramen. When almost half of it was gone, he looked up at Neji and his expectant face.

Naruto grinned and pointed at this swirly piece of specimen on the noodles. "Neji, what's this? It's delicious!"

Neji smirked and smugly said, "Oh? You should know, **Naruto**."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Naruto. That's what it is."

Naruto's face only showed more confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You're-eating-naruto." Neji emphasized each word slowly as if waiting for it to seep into the blonde's head.

"I'm eating myself?" He scratched his head. "I don't want to eat myself."

Neji smirked. _Ah, but I do. I would **love** to eat you Naru-chan._ "No, what you're eating is called naruto, Naruto."

Realization dawned on his adorable face. He grinned and finished the rest of his ramen. "Gochisousama!"

After they washed the bowl they cleaned up the kitchen and left the Hyuuga household. Neji secured the locked gates and ran up to catch up to the blonde.

"We have to tell everybody about our trip, Neji! You'll help me won't you?"

Neji looked down at his hopeful round cerulean eyes. _How can I say no to those eyes? He shouldn't even bother asking when he uses those eyes! _Clearing his throat with a slight blush on his face, Neji nodded. "We should get going now if we want to tell the others."

Naruto grinned and hung onto Neji's arm. He tugged him through the streets of Konoha with a very jealous Uchiha closely following them.

_Damn it! He's touching **my **Naruto again! _To his horror, Uchiha Sasuke suddenly heard dozens of screeches and an earful of squealing. He looked to his right and saw a whole **army** of fangirls who had noticed him. They were **charging** at him! _Shit!_

Sakura and Ino blinked in confusion as the boy suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Stomping the floor frustratedly, "Damn! He got away again!" They said in unison. The mass of fangirls groaned in disappointment and slowly made their way back home.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto called out. A girl with pale gray eyes and bluish-black hair turned around. When she saw Naruto's face and energetic waving, she blushed and slowly made her way over to him trying to weave through the crowded streets of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"N-naruto-kun," She looked up at Neji, "N-neji-kun, what is it?'

Completely oblivious to her blush, Naruto grinned and said, "Well, me and Chouji planned this trip to the waterfalls since summer's here and it's so hot! I'll leave it up to you to tell the other girls, 'kay? You're our last stop for today!" He looked up at Neji and smiled gratefully. The Hyuuga returned the smile and looked at his cousin waiting for her reply.

"O-ok, I'll tell the others. W-when is this trip?"

"In two days, we meet at the bridge, before noon." Neji answered for him. "Are you coming Hinata-sama?" (A/N: YES, Neji calls her that! I remember when he called her that once in the anime!)

Hinata smiled and nodded slowly. "Y-yes, I think so. I-I think the girls and I c-can make the food."

The blonde's face lit up. He pounced on Hinata and hugger her tightly. Her face turned beet red and she would have fainted if Neji hadn't pried Naruto's tight grip off of her. She was still a bit dazed when Naruto let go but slowly she regained her senses and bid good-bye. Naruto looked up at the sun.

Neji followed his gaze and said, "It's almost noon."

The blonde nodded and said, "I gotta get home."

"Would you like me to walk you?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled. He motioned for Neji to bend down so they were talking face to face. Unexpectedly, Naruto leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. He smiled and ran away calling over his shoulder,

"Thanks Neji! I'll see you next time!"

When the blond had disappeared into the crowds, Neji hesitantly reached up and touched the cheek that Naruto's lips had made contact with. Unsure of what was real and what was not at the moment, Neji shakily walked back home with a small smile on his lips the whole way.

As soon as Sasuke heard a key in the front door lock, he would dash to the door waiting eagerly to see whether or not it was Naruto. Twice he had done this and twice Kakashi and Sakura asked him if he was feeling okay. Then he would brush them off and trudge back to the living room sulking. The brunette glanced at the clock, it was almost noon. _Where's that dobe?! He better not still be with Neji! I swear I'm gonna give that bastard a piece of my mind if he lays even a single **hand** on **my** Naruto._

"Oi! Sasuke-teme, what's wrong? You're clenching your knuckles so tight that they're white as paper."

Sasuke looked up and saw a certain someone's face. Relief flooded every fiber of his being. He leaped off the couch and wrapped his arms around the blonde tightly, Then he rested his head on Naruto's soft shoulder and hugged him even tighter,

"Naruto," he whispered into his ear, "Do you have any idea how long I waited for you?"

Naruto's face softened into a small smile and slowly he reached up to hug the older boy back. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," Coughing lightly, Naruto whispered, "Sasuke?"

"Yea, Dobe?"

"Can you let go? I can't breathe." Sasuke's pale cheeks flushed, and he reluctantly unwrapped his arms around the shorter boy. Naruto smiled and laughed, "Are you blushing, Sasuke?"

"N-no! It's just really hot since it's summer!"

"Whatever, man. I need to go and buy swim trunks. You need a pair too, right? Want to go together?"

Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked. "Who said I was going in the first place?"

The blonde smiled and his blue eyes twinkled with mishchief. "Oh, it's ok then. I'll call Neji or something!" The Uchiha grabbed his wrist before he could leave.

"No, you're going with me."

"Nah, it's totally fine! I could ask Neji, I know he'll wantto go. He really cares about me, you know?"

"I car-" He choked. _Shit! I can't say I care! Uchihas don't care, they have no emotions. _"I-I, um,"

The blonde frowned and quietly left the room. _Almost got him…_

**Me: You still don't get it…?**

**Sasuke: What?!**

**Me: Boys… they never get it…**

**Sasuke: Isn't Naruto a boy?**

**Me: We're not talking about him. We're talking about _you_.**

**Naruto & Me: Stupid insensitive seme….**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry, guys! I was preparing for a camping trip with my classmates for our science class. I kinda got carried away! -- My bad, anyways I was trying to draw manga pages for this story, and it didn't turn out so well… I'll stick to writing x3. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

"Hinata-chan! Over here!" The girl looked up from her bags and saw a blonde jumping up and down on the bridge waving energetically. She smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She picked up the bags of food and walked over to the others.

"Ohayo, N-naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Neji-kun."

Naruto flung an arm over her shoulder and whispered loudly into her ear, "Shh! Don't talk to them, they're in a baaaaaaad mood."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Hn, I wonder why dobe."

Neji smirked, "Uchiha, if you didn't want to come, you didn't have to. I'm sure we would have had the same fun with or without you."

Sasuke ignored him and wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

"Oi!!!! We're here!!!" They turned and saw the others. (A/N: You know the drill, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba the rookie nine.)

"Sasuke!!!" Both girls squealed in unison. A blur of light blonde and pink launched themselves onto their unsuspecting victim. "Ohayo, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto snickered and grabbed the soda from Kiba. "Let me guess, you didn't tell him they were coming?" Kiba whispered to the blonde. Holding back laughter, Naruto nodded. They snorted and handed out the drinks.

One they were organized, (with Ino and Sakura still on Sasuke) the group moved on and into the forest. Reaching their destination, which was the waterfall, they looked for a nice spot and put down all their stuff. Naruto and Kiba quickly stripped themselves of their shirt and pants. Only in their swim trunks, they whooped and jumped into the cooling water.

"Whoo hoo! Ha! Kiba, I made a bigger splash than you did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"We'll do it again then!"

"Bring it on dog-boy!" The hoisted themselves out of the water and climbed onto a tall rock. Counting themselves off, they jumped again, making a bigger splash then before.

"Ah! Naruto! Kiba! You got us wet!" Ino and Sakura screeched.

"More importantly, you got Sasuke-kun wet!" Sakura shouted and Ino nodded and 'hmphed' in agreement.

The two boys climbed onto a rock so they were on the same level. Ignoring the two girls as they started a fight with the two wet boys, Sasuke silently walked away. He took a seat under a shady tree that was hidden by a big rock, and closed his eyes. Finally noticing that their precious Sasuke was gone, Ino and Sakura backed off and began searching for him.

"Che, no fun at all, those girls."

Kiba grinned and patted the shorter blonde on the head. "Are you sure you're just that's it? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous!"

Naruto slapped his hand away. "Yeah right! Like I would be jealous of Sasuke!"

Kiba smiled, "No, I meant being jealous of Sakura and Ino."

"W-what?! Like I would be jealous of some fangirls!" He pushed the dog lover backwards. Losing his balance, Kiba fell into the water causing a big splash. Naruto laughed and jumped in after him.

Shikamaru yawned, "How troublesome."

Chouji smiled and opened another pack of potato chips. Hinata opened a package and offered it to Lee and Ten Ten.

"Lee-kun, Ten Ten-chan, would you guys like some onigiri?"

Ten Ten smiled and took two. "I'm going to give one to Neji." She walked away with the two riceballs.

"Yosh! In the height of my youth I must refill my energy and train more!" He took one and took a bite. "Yes! Three hundred push ups for each bite!" Stream of tears rolled down his face. "I must make Gai Sensei proud!"

Laughing nervously, Hinata put down the onigiri and slowly backed away from the boy in the green jumpsuit.

Naruto coughed and spluttered as Kiba laughed and waded through the water trying to get away from the blonde before he could recover. They had been dunking each other for the past couple of minutes and so far, Kiba was clearly winning.

"Not fair!" He wiped water out of his eyes. "Akamaru bit me in the ass to get me distracted! You cheater!"

Kiba laughed and lifted himself onto a rock. He shook his butt at the blonde and called out, "Get me if you can, Naruto!"

Sasuke smirked from his hiding place behind the rock as he heard the blonde yell in frustration. "Baka…" He muttered. He closed his eyes and absorbed his surroundings. Naruto yelling, Kiba's taunting, Sakura and Ino's bickering, Lee's grunting, Shikamaru's yawning, and of course Chouji's chewing. Some part of him would have liked to be out there watching them have fun, and maybe even join them, but he insisted that he stayed right there.

Naruto grinned and poked Kiba's head with his index finger. He had turned the tables and now, Kiba was tangled and helplessly sprawled on the ground under the pressure of Naruto's weight. "Oi, Kiba! Still wanna play?"

He spat out some dirt. "You'll pay for this you pussy!" He tried to get up but Naruto was holding both of his hands down. "Where's Akamaru!?"

The blonde smiled innocently, "What are you talking about, dog boy?" He looked at the sun and his eyes widened.

"Bah! Don't play dumb! Y-you," Before Kiba could finish, Naruto leapt off of him and ran off yelling,

"Be right back! I have to go and do something! You guys stay right here!"

Kiba brushed himself off and called after him, "Bring Akamaru back!"

Shikamaru sat up. Ino and Sakura stopped their squabbling and looked up. Chouji's bag of chips slowly fell to the ground. Neji's eyes widened slightly put he quickly put up his impassive face back on. Hinata trembled slightly and Lee stopped his push ups. Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the sudden silence and took a kunai out as a precaution. He peeked out from behind the rock and nearly choked on his own spit.

There was **his** Naruto half naked in all his glory panting slightly and somewhat glistening in his sweat holding onto the arm of the stoned face no eyebrow redheaded creepy Gaara boy. He fumed, _Why is he clinging onto him like that?!_ He climbed out from behind the rock and walked up to them.

Gaara almost smiled in amusement. Key word being **almost**. The usual calm faced Uchiha was fuming and shooting daggers at him with his death glares, trying to intimidate him.

"Sasuke! Look, I brought Gaara here!" He smiled and called out to everybody, "Look guys! Gaara's here!" He grinned, "Are you guys surprised or what!?"

Sasuke swore… Sometimes he could slam his head into a brick wall at the blonde's denseness. Of course they were surprised! Gaara, who didn't even listen to the Hokage's requests was here in Konoha! Because of some foolish request the blonde made? They were surprised indeed.

Lee grinned and jogged over to them. He gave Gaara the nice guy pose and said, "Gaara-kun, I'm very pleased that you're here! Come, we shall do push ups together!" Wordlessly, the redhead followed Lee.

Sasuke glanced at the blonde. "What were you thinking?"

"What?" The blonde rolled his eyes and ignored his glares. He was used to the famous Uchiha death glare after knowing him for all these years. He clapped his hands together. "Miiiiiiiina! Time for food!!!" He grabbed his bright orange back pack and rumbled through it. His face lit up as he took out several instant cups of ramen. Sasuke blinked. Was this blonde for real? After they had specifically told him not to eat those, he brings nearly a whole box here? The brunette glimpsed at Sakura. The pink haired girl was absolutely not pleased. And saying she was upset was just an understatement.

"NARUTO!!!" She roared, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE EATING?!?!"

The blonde idly waved her off and began to examine the floor for firewood. The medical nin fumed. She cracked her knuckles as Ino and the others wisely took off. Flipping her hair, she said in a low and dangerous voice, "Naruto…" More knuckle cracking. "Didn't you hear what I said to you?" She picked up a ramen cup and inspected it. "**NO MORE CUP RAMEN FOR YOU!!!**" She crushed the cup in her hand effortlessly and hurled it onto the dirt ground.

Taken aback, Naruto dropped the wood in his hands and stammered, "S-sakura-chan, c-calm down…" He backed up, taking each step slowly away form the advancing girl. "I-I couldn't help it.." He whined and placed his hands on his head waiting for the blow…

But it never came.

He opened his clenched eyes and looked up. There was Sasuke standing before him smirking down at him. "Done, dobe?"

He scratched his head, "Where's Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke crossed his arms, a smile creeping across his features. "What? You want her to come back?" Naruto shook his head vigorously. Sasuke smirked again and walked off, calling over his shoulder, "Dobe! Sunset, time to go home."

Naruto sniffed and grabbed his precious ramen and stuffed it back into his bag. He flung it over his shoulder and ran after him.

Some where in the streets of Konoha:

Sakura whimpered and winced as a man bumped into her. He ran off without apologizing leaving her on the floor. She looked up at the sky and wailed,

"S-sasuke-kun…. Sasuke-kun, he-he, WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Thunder rumbled and light rain began to fall from the clouds. Soaked, Sakura walked home trying not to think of what Sasuke had done.

**(A/N:) Guys, I'm really sorry for the late update. I promise the next chapter would be longer or something. I dunno. This chapter was kinda weird when I read it but I didn't want to re-type it and think of a new idea for this chapter. Lol, anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. :**

**Me: What the hell did you do to Sakura…?**

**Sasuke: I'll leave that up to your imagination**

**Me: 8D Moral of this chapter: NEVER mess with this Uchiha…**


	8. Sorry

**Author's Note: Ermm.. sorry to those who read my two stories.. Yea.. School's been dragging me down and I have extra classes outside of my usual regular classes… so, yea, I'm very sorry I couldn't update. It's all in my notebook but I didn't have time to type it up. I'll try to do it in my free time. Oh, by the way, I'm starting on a couple of new stories. I always think of new and interesting plots during lunch time with my friend xD Anyways, I apologize again. Please wait for just a bit more, I just wanted you all to know that I'm very well and alive, just a little short on time. I'll do my best.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Gomenasaiiiiiiiii! This is really a late update! Well, I won't keep you, enjoy!**

Chapter 9

It was a hot summer afternoon. The ninjas of Konoha had hardly received missions these past few days and the heat was making them sluggish. A certain blonde, however, is energetic as always.

"Come on! Sasuke! You have you help out!" He tugs at the raven's arm trying to pull him off the couch. The brunette, on the other hand, refuses to move. Any other time he would have been glad that the blonde was this clingy, but today he was in a bad mood. Naruto was going out of his way trying to bring people together with some crazy idea of his again and it was kinda pissing the raven off with the summer heat and all.

"Dobe, if you want to go, go by yourself!"

The blonde, exasperated, lets go and pouts. "Whyyyyyyyyy?! Sasuuuuuuke! Coooooooome! It'll be really fun! I promise!" The blonde smiles earnestly and nods his head vigorously.

"Whose birthday was it again?"

"Neji!" He smiles happily unaware of the deadly aura the Uchiha was giving off. He scowls.

"I'm definitely not going, not to mention 'help out.'"

The blonde perks up as his eyes give off a mischievous glint. He wags his imaginary tail and rests his head on the raven's lap snuggling against him, his arms snaking around the older boy, embracing him. The raven's eyes widen and he slowly looks down at his lap. Looking up were the biggest blue eyes he ever saw and the cutest pout the blonde had ever given him. He wriggles his nose cutely like a little fox sniffing a new territory. Sasuke can feel his blood rushing to his groin. He gripped onto the armrests until his knuckles were white.

_I'm not going to fuck him here. I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him! _Sasuke clenched his fist together and continuously repeated this mantra in his head.

"Sasuuuuuuuuuke-chan! Onegaaaaai, come?"

_Come!? Come!? That helps a lot! I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him, I'm not going to rape him!_

"Please Sasu-chaaaaan, won't you **come with me?**"

_Arrrrrrgh! _Sasuke throws his head back and hold back a moan that threatened to escape his lips. He gritted his teeth and managed to say,

"If I **go with you** will you get off of me?"

The blonde grins and wiggles his eyebrows slyly. He smiles and gets up brushing himself off. He grins and looks innocently at Sasuke as he opens his eyes gasping for air. _Easy, easy._ The blonde smiles and pulls the raven out the door in the blink of an eye.

"Oi! Lee, Ten Ten! I brought one more to help out!" The two look up form the decorations they laid out and smile.

"Arigato, Naruto." The brown haired girl point to some tables set out in the small room. Can you assemble the plates and forks? Hinata and the others are going to bring the food."

"I told Iruka and Kakashi-sensei about this! I think they're coming later!"

Lee nods approvingly. "Gai-sensei would be here soon. He would be pleased that the fountain of youth is stronger than ever!"

Sasuke scowls and turns away. This was not how he wanted to spend his day. He blamed himself for agreeing to come. _But how could I have said no to Naruto in that situation?! _He glances the blonde who was chattering away to Lee. _I doubt he would, no, I doubt that he __**could **__do that on purpose. He's as dense, as, well, dense as Naruto. No, he couldn't toy with me like __**that**_

"Sasuke! Come on! We have to assemble the forks and plates! Hinata-chan said she was going to make a biiiiiiiiiig cake." The blonde pulled his arms apart to demonstrate while jumping up and down.

_Yes, this dobe could never pull off something like that if he were to do it on purpose…_ Sasuke smirks.

"Yeah, whatever. Where are the forks and plates?"

Two WHOLE Hours later!

"Yatta! Done!" Ten Ten smiles and pats the blonde on the back.

"Thanks to you. You pulled everybody together in the end." Sasuke rolled his eyes as the blonde beamed. All the dobe did was bounce around here and there talking to people, if not distracting them.

Kiba cheers and they congratulated each other for doing such a splendid job. The decorations were put up by Shino and Kiba while Chouji, Ino, Ten Ten and Hinata made the cake and cooked the food. Lee and Sasuke took care of arranging the tableware and the chairs. And well, Naruto did what he did.

In the midst of clapping and cheering the blonde stood there scratching his chin. Something was not right. They were forgetting something and he knew it. Kiba howled and hopped onto a table.

"Lets eat!" The others laugh and gather at the food table handing each other cups and plates.

Naruto frowns. He was almost positive that something was missing. "Hmmmmmmmmm…Ah! STOP!!!!!!!!"

Kiba grins and looks at him. "What? You wanna eat get first dibs or something?"

"Did we send anybody to get Neji? I mean, this **is **his birthdayparty."

Sasuke smirks and leans back into the folded chair. He was enjoying this. Lee's hand shot up.

"I volunteer to go for Neji-kun!" Ten Ten rolls her eyes and Ino shakes her head.

"No way! You'll ruin the surprise! Hmmm…" Her eyes scan the crowd and they land on….Sasuke! (A/N: Whooooo hooooooo! Big surprise!) "Sasuke-kun! You go!"

Nope. He took back what he said about enjoying this. "No."

Naruto laughs. "He looks like he's gonna go to a funeral! Lemme go!"

Sasuke shoots up from his chair already by the door. "I'll go for him. Wait here." He looks at Naruto. "**Wait here**." The blonde pouts and sprawled onto a chair.

Ino taps him on the shoulder as the others put back the plates and cups. "Naruto…where is Sakura?"

"Lets see. I peeked into her room and it was like all dark and stuff. She was sitting on her bed rocking back and forth with a blanket wrapped around her mumbling: Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun! She's gone maaaaaaaaad!"

"I think she has the Sasuke-over-obsessiveness flu or something. I'll bring this up at the next Sasuke-fanclub meeting." She scratched her head. "I'll have to fill her spot as president."

Naruto shrugs and scoots over to sit with Kiba slinging an arm over his shoulder.

"Doggy-boy, did you talk to Hinata-chan yet?" He turns away pretending not to hear him. The blonde snickers, he could even see the dog-boy's ears turn red as a tomato. He laughs and goes over to bother Shikamaru.

Meeeeeeeanwhile, back with Sasuke:

"Uchiha."

"Hyuuga."

"Come with me for a second Hyuuga."

Neji raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "You think I would because..?"

"This is not for me!" He looks away and grits his teeth. "It's for Naruto."

"Naruto?"

_Now I got him interested. _"Yes, Naruto. Now come with me."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Choooooooooouji! I heard you made some great food! I could smell all the great stuff coming from the kitchen." He pouts. "But then Sasuke held me back by my collar."

"Yeah, I made most of the sweets while the girls made the dinner foods. Try the cake. I baked it. The girls decorated it but I made the frosting too."

"Ooo, what flavor is the cake?"

"Chocolate and vanilla. I made more than one layer. Since there so many people and stuff."

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but the quickly shut it when he heard voices outside the door.

"What does Naruto have to do with Hinata's main branch manor?"

"Just open the door already."

Naruto closes his eyes in anticipation. 3, 2, 1!!!!!!!

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They all yell out.

Neji blinks and rubs his eyes. He turns to look at Sasuke. "Do we have to wrong room?" Naruto jumps out and gave the pale eyed boy a great big birthday hug. Sasuke narrows his eyes and scowls.

Neji smiles and pats the blonde on the head. "What's all this for?"

The blonde looks up at him smiling, "Duh! It's like your birthday smash!"

Neji cocks his head. "My birthday?"

The shorter boy nods enthusiastically. The others watch with interest by the side. "Yeah! You dummy, how could you not know your own birthday?"

Neji smiles, "Naruto…my birthday passed…it was two weeks ago. Remember? That's when we went out for ramen."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Oh yeah! Now I remember! I knew it was in July, but I wasn't sure when exactly. I seeeee."

"Naruto…" The guys shake their heads and the girls groan.

The blonde looks around. "What? We can still eat."

Kiba grins and steps onto the table. "Ladies and Gentlemen! EAAAAAAAAAT!" He dives into the pile of people. Ino raises and eyebrow and moves away. Ten Ten jumps out of the way just in time. Chouji and Shikamaru yawn and step out of the way. Hinata runs and hides behind Ten Ten and Ino. Lee raises both his hands waiting for Kiba. The smile is quickly wiped off of Kiba's face when he crashes into Lee. Their legs and arms tangle and the blonde laughs. Kiba groans and gets up. Lee jumps up and gives him the nice guy pose. Naruto hops onto the table and hollers,

"Happy Birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Party Begiiiiiiins!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Yeah, whats up guys? I know it's been FOREVER since I updated this story, or any story for that matter but better late than never, right? Anyways, I've been re-reading my stories from the beginning and I realized how immature everything was. I also realized that Gaara came in from chapter 7 and never was heard from again! So yeah. Here he is :D Got some Uchiha jealousy going on here. Again. God, I LOVE it when Sasuke gets jealous. I'm so mean! Oh YEAH! lol. Anyways, go ahead and read.**

Sasuke clenched his fist for the umpteenth time that day. He narrowed his eyes at the unsuspecting redhead and tried to see if looks really could kill because right now that was what he wanted to do to that Suna kid. _His _blonde had been pulling that Sabaku guy around Konoha for a good half of the day. Every time those slender tanned fingers touched Gaara, Sasuke would bristle. The thing was, Mr. Raccoon-Eyes seemed to **like** it. It was supposed to be him there, not the foreign brat! And it was all because of the ramen…

Flashback

"Yeah, I was calling to see how you were doing! Cause then you couldn't come to Neji's belated party and all." The blonde nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I had loads of fun. Course it would have been more fun if you were there too!" Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side. "Oh? Really?" His full lips curved into a wide smile and he burst out laughing. "That's good. You know how to joke around, Gaara."

Sasuke's ears perked up at the name of the boy and he edged towards Naruto's living room to listen in. Kakashi sent him to the blonde's house to check up on him to see how the ramen situation was going and of course, like he had expected, no progress whatsoever was made by the boy. When he had arrived, Naruto was already on the phone and he waved him in then promptly went back to the call. Sasuke, was usually greeted with a frenzy of glomps and spasms of energy was unsure if he liked the blonde's new behavior.

"Sure, sure! Who's here? Oh, just Sasuke." Naruto twirled the phone cord around his finger then untwirled it again and then laughed.

_Just Sasuke? When was I __**just**__ Sasuke? _The raven gritted his teeth and marched over to the wooden cabinets. He threw the doors open and scowled when all he saw was rows and rows and stacks and stacks of ramen. Ramen in a cup, ramen in a package, ramen in a bowl, ramen in a box, Sasuke's head got all dizzy from all the ramen. Then something un-ramen caught his eyes. _What…? Ramen boxers?!_ Sasuke took the underwear out of the cabinet and stuffed it in his pocket. _For future use,_ he told himself.

Laughter erupted from the living room and Sasuke peeked out of the kitchen and saw Naruto rolling around on the floor in a fit of giggles. _Still speaking to him, I see. _Growling, Sasuke gathered all the ramen in the cabinet with on large sweeping motion and tossed them out the window. Smirking, he brushed his hands. _Let's see you laugh now._

"There." He said aloud. He turned his head slightly when he heard the blonde shuffling in. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my god! Sasuke! Call for help! I've been robbed! Look at my cabinets! Look! All my precious ramen is gone!" Naruto shook Sasuke by the shoulder. "LOOK!"

Sasuke calmly detached himself from the over-hysterical blonde. "I did it."

"We must catch the guy! Who could do such a- wait. What? Sasuke, **you**?"

"I just said I was the one who did it."

"Why?" The blonde's lower lip trembled. "I-I thought,"

"Why don't you just go and ask that Sabaku kid to get some more for you then?! Since you are two are so buddy buddy!"

"Buddy buddy? W-what are you talking about, Sasuke?" The raven merely looked away and crossed his arms. Naruto growled, "Fine! If that's how you want it, I'll go find Gaara!" The blonde hmped and jumped out the window, leaving a very dangerous brooding Sasuke behind.

End Flashback

Sasuke bit his lip. _Maybe I shouldn't have gotten that angry. _He frowned as Naruto pulled the willing redhead into a supermarket. Sasuke kicked off the roof and jumped down. Stealthily, he entered and winced when a bell sounded when he entered through the door.

"Irrashaimasse! How may I help you today customer-san?" A perky blonde girl with a ponytail bounced over and smiled.

"I don't need any help." The girl frowned and shrugged before walking away to help another customer.

"Ah!" Sasuke snapped his head towards that familiar voice. He walked carefully between the aisles until he was close enough to see them but not close enough to be detected.

"Ah, Gaara! Look at this!" Naruto held up a cup of ramen and grinned. "It's from Suna!"

Sasuke inwardly scoffed. Like that was worth any attention.

"Let's get this, Gaara!" The blonde threw it into the plastic basket the redhead had wringing on his arm and they walked further down the aisle.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in anger. _That should be __**me**__ holding that basket! I'm the one who shops with Naruto every week! _The Uchiha stopped. He put a hand to the side of his face. _Since when did I care? Uchihas don't get __**jealous**__. But, ha. I'm not jealous. I'm merely claiming what's mine. Indeed. No jealousy here. No sirry. Holy shit! I'm babbling. The mental rants are back! Goddamn! I should really get the blonde back before I go crazy. _Nodding slowly to himself, Sasuke followed the couple as they exited the market.

The blonde rolled his eyes slightly to himself. Seriously. Did he think that after working with him for so long that he wouldn't even recognize his chakra? Naruto had noticed ever since he had left the house that Sasuke had been silently trailing behind him. _If he wanted to apologize he should really have done it before I left. _Naruto pouted. _What the hell was with him anyways? Who the hell gets jealous over a phoneca- _Blushing slightly, Naruto tried to calm his heartbeat down. _Calm down, Naruto, _he told himself, _you know how possessive he is. _Smiling to himself, Naruto began to hum.

Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "You are happy now." It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"What are you talking about? I was happy the moment I saw you."

Gaara's pale lips almost curved into a small smile. Almost. "On the outside you were happy. But you were thinkin about something."

Naruto grinned. "You know me well." He laced his fingers with Gaara's and sighed slightly. "I'm sorry for ruining a rare day like this. I know you can't always come visit."

Sasuke nearly revealed his hiding spot when he saw his blonde hold hands with the redhead. He had to use every last ounce of his strength and perseverance to hold himself from killing Raccoon-Eyes with a kunai or a throwing star. Something **sharp**.

Gaara shook his head. "No need to apologize. It was nice even though you weren't in to it."

Naruto frowned then laughed. "Oh yeah, you're making me feel better." He took the bags from Gaara's hands and smile appreciatively at him. _Time to give the bastard a chance to apologize. _"Thanks for today. Honest."

_I can't fucking hear what they're saying! _Sasuke mentally screamed. _Are they whispering on purpose? Goddamn it!_

"I had fun today, Gaara." The redhead hmn'ed allowed himself to be pulled into a hug.

"It was…fun. Uzumaki."

A warm smile spread across Naruto's face as he leaned over slightly and pecked Gaara on the cheek. "I'm glad. After all, my bro from Suna can't always come visit."

Gaara allowed himself to smile. "I will come again. Temari and Kankuro as well. To visit you." They said their goodbyes and Naruto headed home, humming, knowing very well that the raven was following him.

_Should I make it hard for him to apologize, or should I let him off easy? _The blonde contemplated, _I'm in a good mood. Why not just let him off easy? _Naruto grinned and entered his apartment complex, locking the door behind him. He put the grocery bags on the table and made sure to lock every window in his house. _Easy, but not __**too**__ easy. _As if on cue, he heard a knock on the door and a demanding,

"Open up, Naruto!" by the familiar voice he had come to love.

Naruto took his sweet time walking over to the door. He even checked the peephole to drag it out. To say he was enjoying this was indeed an understatement. He unlocked the door and opened it slightly, making sure to pout and hide any sign that he was smiling only mere seconds before.

"What do you want, Mr. Ramen-Waster?"

Sasuke put one hand on the door and gently pushed, "Let me in, Naruto." The blonde walked back a couple of steps and let the raven in. Sasuke closed the door and was about to walk into the living room but stopped when he saw the blonde made no movement that signified that he could go in. Naruto was pouting and his arms were crossed.

"You got more groceries, I see." Sasuke gestured to the dining table.

"Yeah. So what do you want, Sasuke? Are you here to throw away more of my ramen? Or would you like to scream some more nonsense at me?" 

"Look, Naruto," Sasuke said slowly, this by no means was easy for him. How often did an Uchiha apologize? Not very often, I could tell you that. Even though this was hard, having his blonde glare at him was even harder to deal with. "this morning was a…mistake."

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You meant to throw out some other stuff of mine?"

"That's not what I meant."

"What **do** you mean then?"

"What I mean to say is, I'm sor-" Sasuke took a deep breath and tried again. "I'm sorr-" Sasuke clenched his fist and urged himself. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I threw out your ramen and I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to and it was a mistake. I apologize for making you upset. Canyoupleaseforgiveme?" He said in one breath.

Naruto smiled. Finally. An apology from the almighty Uchiha. "Yes, Sasuke. I can forgive you."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What were you doing holding hands with Raccoon-Eyes?"

"What?" _You got yourself in this one, Sasuke. And I am not letting go. _He grinned, "Were you following me, Sasuke?"

A light shade of pink rested on Sasuke's pale cheeks. "Of course not! Why would I?"

Naruto nodded, and smiled smugly, "Then why would you know?"

Sasuke paused, and opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You did that on purpose didn't you?" He asked accusingly.

Naruto widened his eyes and blinked innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled into the living room and onto the couch. He inwardly smiled, _You outsmarted me this time, Naruto._

**Me: So CHYEAH! I liked this one. lol. Naruto's a whole hecka smarter than people :cough: Sasuke :cough: think. Yeah. So how'd you like the whole fluffy scene between Gaara and Naruto? I bet most of you were thinking he had the hots for Naruto, right? Originally I was planning for some GaaNaru to happen, but I changed my mind since there's going to be more NejiNaru. And yeah, more Sasuke jealousy too, DURRRRRRRRRR! 8D**


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hey, my beloved readers! Here's a super late update of this story. I'm reeeally sorry, but I just couldn't continue. I had this **_**humongous**_** writer's block on the road of my fanfiction life. Now that I'm back and running, read and enjoy. BTW, you can yell at me if you want, just do that with reviews. Reviews make a writer very happy.**

Chapter 10

Sakura checked over the last of the files Tsuande-sama had assigned her to look over. She sighed, satisfied. The pink-haired girl got up from her chair and left the office. Time to go to the supermarket, she thought with a smile. Skipping happily though the streets of Konoha, Sakura made a mental list of the groceries she would buy for tonight's dinner at Naruto's house.

"That baka eats nothing but ramen! I really need to beat it into his head." She pursed her lips. "Maybe beating him **is** going a little overboard." (A/N: Guys, I'm so tired of bashing her. Haha, I still think she sucks though.) Sakura paid the cashier and lifted up the two big brown paper bags filled with that night's dinner. She left the supermarket and jumped onto the roofs of the stores and ran towards the direction of Naruto's house. When she got to the building, she walked up the stairs and knocked. When no one answered, she knocked again. Finally getting the hint, she took the key that was underneath the welcoming mat and opened the door herself.

She tsk'ed, annoyed. Dumping the bags on the kitchen counter, she walked into the living room. Where the hell were those two?

"Nnngh! That's not how you do it, Sasuke!" Sakura rose an eyebrow and walked towards the direction of Naruto's voice. "Ah! Sasuke! You're doing it too hard! It's hurting now!"

The pink-haired girl blushed and tip toed towards the bathroom.

"Dobe, if I don't do it like this, it won't be any good!"

Sakura heard Naruto whine. "Be gentler." She paused as she reached the door of the bathroom. Should she go in? What the hell were they doing? What the hell was **her** Sasuke doing in there?

"Mm, that's better teme."

"Hn."

"Does it feel good?" Naruto cooed.

Contemplating for two seconds longer, Sakura burst into the room, slamming the bathroom door open. "What are you two doing?!" She hollered at the top of her lungs.

Naruto rose an eyebrow. "Sakura-chan…?"

Sakura opened her eyes and looked around. No one was naked except for…a puppy? She saw Sasuke and Naruto kneeling by the tub washing a puppy with a small sponge. "Oh."

Sasuke snorted, _If we were doing anything remotely close to what she was thinking, as if we'd do it here where she could easily find us. _Letting out a breath, Sasuke stood up and left the bathroom. "I'm going to get something to drink."

The medic-nin laughed sheepishly and scratched her head. "You two were washing a puppy?"

"Yeah… Sakura-chan, what did you think we were doing?"

"N-nothing! Naruto! I bought groceries! I'm going to unpack them now." She ran out of the bathroom and into the kitchen only to find Sasuke waiting for her there. He was leaning against the kitchen counter.

"I think we both know what you were thinking." He said.

Sakura flushed. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." She began unpacking the groceries, avoiding the Uchiha's eyes.

"And so what if we were doing things of that sort?" He continued, enjoying her obvious discomfort. He finished the rest of his water and left the cup in the sink. "Sakura, if you know what's best for yourself, don't **ever** interrupt us again." Sasuke said softly over his shoulder and left the kitchen.

Sakura let out a long breath and sighed. "Well, at least that's the most he ever said to me in one conversation." She slowly unpacked the grocery bags and put each item carefully on the counter. Sighing she ran a hand through her hair. She couldn't stay that little girl crushing on Sasuke forever, she knew. If he didn't show interest two years ago, why would he start now? And now she knew the reason why. A yellow insuppressible ball of sunshine with cute whiskers on his face. "I should have seen it. The way he looks at him and protects him." She smiled sadly and sighed.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto walked into the kitchen drying off the white puppy with a towel, "What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

Sakura looked at the boy she's known since they were little. For years she's thought of him as an annoyance. And all this time she was the one who was the annoyance. The pink-haired girl sighed and shook her head. She smiled at the blonde, "Thank you for staying my friend all these years, Naruto." _Even though I wasn't so nice to you, _she thought to herself.

Naruto laughed. "You're acting really weird today." He set the puppy on the counter and cooed at it. "Hey, little guy. Are you hungry?" The puppy yipped and snuggled against his tanned hand. He laughed and looked at Sakura, "Do we have anything for the pup?"

Sakura smiled, feeling a lot better. "Sure." She rummaged through the cabinets. "I'm sure Kiba left some dog food here. He said in case of an attack of sisters or something."

Sasuke's lips curved slightly and left his hiding place behind the wall that separated the living room and kitchen.

---

Iruka and Sakura set the last of the dishes on the table and smiled satisfactorily. "Not bad. Not bad at all." The brown haired sensei said and smiled at his old student.

Kakashi peeked out from the living room and his eyes turned into upside down U's. "Looks great Iruka."

Iruka flushed and smiled, "Sakura helped a lot."

Naruto bounced out of the kitchen and clung onto Iruka's shoulders. "Hey! I helped a lot too!"

Sasuke took out a pitcher of water and set it on the table. "Yeah, you helped eat, sure. Who stole all the bacon bits, I wonder?"

The blonde stuck out his tongue at him and grinned. "Let's eat, Iruka-sensei! I'm really hungry!

Sakura and Kakashi laughed and took their seats. The rest took their seats as Iruka passed around a bowl of salad. "Each of you take some." He looked at Naruto's disgusted face. "Especially you, Naruto."

"But, Iruka-sensei! Salad is so grooss!"

"Naruto." Iruka said sternly. "Vegetables are good for your body."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I tried telling him, but it just won't get through that thick skull of his, Iruka-sensei."

"Vegetables taste so bad! I might die if I eat that!"

Sasuke smirked, "What kind of ninja is scared of a salad?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask. Only Sasuke knew Naruto this well. He put a hand on Iruka. "Let Sasuke take care of it." He whispered softly.

Naruto shot up from his seat. "What?"

The raven looked up calmly from his plate and smirked. "I _said, _what kind of ninja is scared of salad?"

Naruto bristled. "I'm not scared of a salad, teme!" He grabbed a fork and stuck it into the bowl of salad. And as fast as it took Iruka to put it together, Naruto scarfed down the bowl of greens. "There," The blonde said triumphantly, "I'm done!"

Sakura hid a smile behind her hand. She let out a breath. Yes, this was better than before. A knot was finally untied in her heart. She laughed, "Naruto, you still have some dressing on your cheek."

Iruka chuckled and wiped it off with a finger. "Alright, alright, ninja. Sit down."

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes momentarily met over the table. Sakura smiled and to her surprise, Sasuke returned one. It could the a trick of the light, but she was pretty sure. She grinned, yes, this was definitely better than before.

ME: Yeah, well this was pretty much a shitty chapter. I really had to turn Sakura into a good girl here. Making her an asshole makes _me_ feel like such and asshole. It feels like I'm doing all the bad things to Naruto, instead of her. Well, goes to show what kind of weirdo I am.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I really don't know which direction I want this to go in anymore. Honestly, when I wrote the summary, I really wasn't thinking. Well, whatever, just read and review. Enjoy.**

Chapter 11

Sasuke bolted up in his bed, beads of sweat rolling all over his body. He breathed deeply, trying to take in as much fresh air s possible. Wiping his head, he swung his legs over his bed and walked into his bathroom. He turned on the faucet of cold water and splashed his face. Looking at himself in the mirror, he recalled what happened in his dream.

Uchiha Mikoto walked towards her son's bed and brushed a lock of hair from his face. Looking at him lovingly, she kissed him softly on the forehead. Sasuke stirred from the contact and opened his eyes slowly. They shot wide open when he saw the slightly transparent figure of his mother. "Okaa-san…" He whispered disbelievingly.

She smiled happily, her eyes tearing slightly, "Sasuke, are you taking good care of yourself?"

"Mom, what are you doing here?" He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. "You're alive?"

She stroked his head gently, like she did when he was a child. "No, darling. I'm talking to you through a dream."

He pulled back and looked at her. "What?"

Mikoto wiped away some hair from his forehead and said, "Look sweetie, I don't have much time to tell you what I need to, but here it is; you have to revive our clan."

"What? I–"

"You can't let the Uchiha bloodline die." She looked away pain apparent in her voice, "I wish I could count on Ita–, well, darling, I really don't want to take charge of your love life but we need the clan revived." She smiled sadly at him, "It would b my greatest wish to see you surrounded by the ones you love and if it takes the revival of a clan to allow you to be surrounded by company and make you happy then please," Tears threaten to spill from her eyes, "Please do it and give my a peace of mind. I want to know that you're safe and happy." Giving him one last kiss on the forehead, Mikoto faded away until all Sasuke grabbed onto was air.

---

"Sasuke-kun, is something wrong?" Sakura asked her teammate worriedly. Since this morning the raven hasn't been himself. It took two calls of him name to get his attention and he didn't even notice Kakashi coming to the training grounds late or Naruto practically crawling into his lap to get his attention.

The Uchiha looked up to see both his teammates looking at him closely. "What?"

"Uhm, are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura bit her lip, ever since she had acknowledged the fact that she and Sasuke could only be friends, she did her best to treat both her male teammates equally and kindly. "I'll go get Kakashi-sensei." She glanced at Naruto, "You stay here with him."

Once he was sure that Sakura was gone, the blonde turned to Sasuke. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed into a frown and said, "You're hiding something."

Sasuke for once could not meet the inquiring blue eyes he had come to love so much. He looked everywhere but Naruto. "It's nothing, dobe."

"You're lying. Even when you say dobe it's different." Naruto shedded his mask of ignorance and fixed his eyes on the Uchiha. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke forced himself to look at the blonde. Not letting his true emotions show through, he replied, "I said nothing."

Naruto grew exasperated and put his hands on his teammate's shoulder, holding him against the tree he was leaning against. "I can tell something's up, Sasuke. You think I wouldn't notice the difference after knowing you for all these years? Come on, even Kiba noticed."

"I **said **it's nothing, Naruto. Will you leave it alone?" He said through gritted teeth. "I'm not in the mood."

"For what? For someone to ask you what's wrong because they're worried? Because they **care**?"

"I'm not in the mood for one of your goddamn idiotic speeches. You're a nuisance, go bother someone else with your low intelligence." Coldly Sasuke brushed the tanned hands off himself and walked away without looking back even once.

"Sasuke! Where are you going?"

"Somewhere away from you." He stopped a moment just to look back and say, "Don't even **think **of following me."

Shocked, angry, but mostly hurt, Naruto bit hard on his lower lip, willing himself to not cry. Stunned, Sakura watched from a distance as Sasuke walked away from the blonde who was always with him. She knew they had a little fight last week over some ramen but they had made up didn't they? What's this now? Seeing Naruto slump down on the ground, resting his head on the tree trunk, Sakura walked over to him.

She knelt down and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Blue eyes blurred with tears looked back up at her. Seeing that he wasn't alone, Naruto quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Trying to laugh it off, he said with forced cheer, "Silly me, the leaves blew into my eyes." He laughed weakly but stopped his feeble attempts when Sakura only stroked his back comfortingly. "S-sakura, how can someone change so fast?"

"What happened?"

"I-, I'm a bother to him he said. A nuisance." Naruto wiped away more tears but they didn't stop until Sakura pulled him into a long and soothing embrace. "He told me to g-go bother someone e-else."

"I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. I mean, out of everyone in Konoha," She pulled away and looked at him, "**you're** the one he would not want to hurt."

---

Sasuke jumped from tree to tree, not sure where he was headed or was going to end up, completely frustrated and angry at his current situation. He stopped abruptly and slammed a kunai into a nearby tree in a fit of anger.

"My, my, I'm sure that tree doesn't appreciate that."

"What do you want, Kakashi?" Sasuke spat out. He wanted to destroy everything in his path. He did not want to deal with his pervert of a teacher. "Sasuke, if you're going to regret what you do, it's not smart to do them in the first place is it?"

"What's it to you?" Sasuke jumped off the branch and landed gracefully on the ground. Kakashi appeared right next to him and continued, "Why would you try to push him away like that when you've tried to hard to keep him close to you?" The Uchiha walked on, ignoring his sensei. Kakashi chuckled, "I've seen how you look at him, Sasuke." The raven flung a shuriken at him which he easily dodged. "Now, don't take your anger out on me. I'm not the one who left the poor blonde in tears."

Sasuke ran towards his teacher a kunai in hand, ready to fight. Kakashi merely dodged his attacks. He could not fight clear headedly in this state of anger. Effortlessly, Kakashi flicked the kunai from Sasuke's hand.

The raven punched a tree in anger and watched as blood trickled down his knuckles. "I know what I did Kakashi! I don't need you to tell me." He ran a hand through his hair, still watching his hand, "He'll be fine."

"If anyone else had said that, it would not hurt half as much as when you did." With that, Kakashi disappeared.

"I know." Was the raven's quiet reply.

**Me: Yeah this is like a 180 turn around. A lot of OCC in this chapter, right? I mean some of you can see where I'm going with this right? I know the personalities fluctuate a lot but bear with me. Angst is so not my stlyeee, happiness will hopefully come soon. R&R BTW, sorry huns for the lateness. Love y'all. I will try to get off my ass and write some more.  
**


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